Mechanical shovel attachment

ABSTRACT

An attachment for mechanical shovels and the like having a lever pivotable relative to a rotating column. An arm pivotally connected to the lever and a hydraulic cylinder working in conjunction with the arm, lever and locking means for moving a shovel from a working position to a travelling position.

Jan. 23, 1973 United States Patent n91 Schaeii References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS MECHANICAL SHOVEL ATTACHMENT '7 Hans Schaefi,

RR 88 33 ll. 44 iii 21 MM it ee dd n MM yy "Ono SS 5 66 99 ll 82 Primary Examiner(ierald M. Forlenza Assistant Examiner-Lawrence J. Oresky Attorney 221 Filed:

Arthur Schwartz 21. Appl. No.: 126,690

ABSTRACT [30] Foreign Application Priority Data [57] March 3 1970 An attachment for mechanical shovels and the like having a lever pivotable relative to a rotating column. 52 us. Cl. ...............214/138 0 An arm Pivotally connected to the lever and a y 511 int. Cl. 9/00 7 he cylinder working in conjunction with the arm, lever and locking means for moving a shovel from a working position to a travelling position.

[58] Field of Search ......2l4/l38 R, 138 C, 132, 145; 212/145 10 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures ,PATENTEO JAN 2 a ma SHEET 1 OF 4 VKVKVKYKXKYK KYKY YKVOK PATENTEUJAM23 m5 3,712,490

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INVEN TOR. HANS SCHAEFF ATTORNEY wmm 22 ms 2,712,490

Fig. 5 37 35a INVENTOR.

HANS SCHAEFF ATTORNEY 1 MECHANICAL SI-IOVEL ATTACHMENT BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION axis. A shovel arm extends from the vertical column retracted, and the arm is pivoted upwardly into a retracted position as steep as possible in order to reduce the rear axle load on the vehicle. To a certain extent, this rear axle load remains, nevertheless, present withall carrier vehicles carrying mechanical shovel attachments. This is the reason why shovel attachments of a certain size can only be carried by correspondingly heavy vehicles,'.or vehicles whose weight distribution has been correspondingly modified. v

The problem with rear axle loading is especially, accentuated in mechanical shovel attachments where the pivoting column is laterally movable relative to the frame by means'of a transverse carriage, forexample, which is attached to the frame. Such intermediate mechanisms further remove the center of gravity of'the shovel attachment from the rear end of the vehicle. In addition to the rear axle loading condition mentioned, the rearward extension of the shovel attachment, even in its upwardlyretr acted travelling position, involves problems of maneuverability. Examples of this are encountered when rounding a tight corner, passing under low bridges or entrances,storing the vehicle with its upwardly extending arm and scoop in a shed or the like.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the invention, the above mentioned.

shortcomings and difficulties in connection with mechanical shovel attachments can be overcome by a structure wherein the shovel arm as well as'the one end of its operating cylinder, areattached, one above the other, to a lever whose upper end is pivotably supported on a horizontal pivot which in turn is mounted on the upper end of the vertical pivoting column. The lever is rotatable about its pivot between the downwardly extending working position and at least one higher travelling position. The lever further may be locked in these positions relative to the pivoting column. Inthe proposed'design the lever forms a supporting base for the shovel arm and its hydraulic cylinder, the base being pivotable upwardly fromits normal working position and lockable in its new position from which the shovel armcan execute a further upwardly or backwardly directed pivoting motion so as to allow the shovel attachment to be moved as close as possible to the carrier vehicle. Depending upon the space available, the position is preferably parallel to the longitudinal center axis of the carrier vehicle located between the operators stand and one of the wheels. The device thus permits a considerable reduction in the rear axle load of the carrier vehicle during travelling, while simultaneously improving its maneuverability. Furthermore, the mechanical shovel attachment of the invention, whose unhooked from the carrier vehicle,

0 requires only a comparatively small storage space. The

structural requirements for embodying the invention are very simple, requiring neither any design changes nor any additional space, and it may be incorporated in all known types of mechanical shovel attachments.

Ina preferred embodiment of the invention, the lever comprises two parallel spaced plates of identical contour which are mounted and positioned on the upper end of the vertical pivoting column by means of a central mounting ear forming the horizontal pivot. Oppositely arranged bushings in the plates for the reception of the support pin of the shovel ar'm cylinder are also provided.

in the preferred embodiment of the invention, the locking of the lever relative to the vertical pivoting column is achieved by means of a locking car at the lower end of the pivoting column which corresponds to appropriate bores in the lower end of the plates of the lever in its working position for the introduction of a locking pin. In'it-s raised position, the lever is locked by means of an additional locking link attached on one end'to the lockingear of the vertical column and on its other end to the plates of the arm. In order to move the arm from its working position to its travelling position, thescoopstrut and working tool are rested on the ground. Whereupon the locking pin is removed and, depending upon the particular structure" of the attachment, either the scoop strut cylinder and/or the arm cylinder is operated. The lever is thereby raised from its downwardly extending position, after which the additional locking link can be installed between the lever 'andthe locking ear on the vertical pivoting axes. No special locking link is required in this case.

' BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS shovel attachment of the invention;

FIG.'3 is an enlarged partial side view elevation of a further modification of the invention including an operating cylinder attached to the lever;

FIG. 4 shows the embodiment of FIG. 3 in a front view elevation, as seen when looking toward the vehicle; I

FIG. 5 shows, in a somewhat simplified plan view, the rear end of a carrier vehicle carrying the mechanical shovel attachment of the invention, the attachment being shown in its laterally offset, retracted travelling position.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS As shown in FIG. 1, the mechanical shovel attachment consists of a frame which is adapted for connection to a suitable carrier vehicle and having a pair of lateral support struts 23. A support bracket is attached to the frame 10 for lateral pivotability relative thereto, and a vertical pivoting column 35 is attached to the exterior edge of the support bracket 20. The upper end of the pivoting column 35 includes a pivot ear having a pivot pin 37 mounted therein for pivotable support of a shovel arm 36 on the pivoting column. Also, pivotably supported on the pivot pin 37 is the upper end of a lever 38, the lower end of the lever having a locking bore 38a matching a corresponding locking bore on a locking ear 39 located on the lower end of the vertical pivoting column 35 and lockable thereto by a pin (not shown). One end of an operating cylinder 41 for the shovel arm 36 is attached to the lever 38 at the point 40 located between the two ends ofthe lever.

The working mechanism may be pivoted upwardly and backwardly until it comes to rest on a support lock 44 attached to the frame 10. This is accomplished by resting shovel scoop 42 on the ground, whereupon the pin locking the lever 38 at the locking ear 39 is removed. "The operating cylinder 41 is then retracted. This causes the lever 38 to pivot upwardly into a position shown by broken lines in FIG. 1. A special locking link 43 can now be inserted between the locking ear 39 of the column 35 and the free end 38a of the raised lever. If the cylinder 41 is now extended, the shovel arm 36 is permitted to be raised until it comes to rest on the support 44. In this rest position, the locking link 43 is no longer under load and, after removal of the link, the cylinder 41 can again be retracted, thereby further pivoting the lever 38 upwardly until it is completely retracted as shown by broken lines in FIG. 1. In the example described, it was assumed that the frame 10 also includes an operators seat 51 and a control panel 52 which are essentially arranged in the middle of the structure so that, when the support bracket 20 is pivoted to one side, the shovel arm 36 can be positioned along side the operator's seat and above the carrier vehicle. This is similar to the position shown in FIG. 5, where a laterally movable vertical pivoting column is attached to the frame.

The embodiment of FIG. 2 includes a frame 10 car- I rying on a slide a transversely movable carriage 61. The vertical pivoting column 35 is attached to the outer portion of the carriage 61. The lever 38 is again pivotably attached to theupper end of the pivoting shovel arm at point 40. Near the lower end of the lever 38 is further provided a locking bore 38a which can be aligned with a matching, locking car 39 on the lower end of the pivoting column 35 for the insertion of a locking pin.

In order to move the lever 38 into the travelling position as indicated by broken lines in FIG. 2 the scoop strut 45 and scoop 42 are first rested on the ground as described in the previous example. After'removal of the locking pin from the ear 39, the hydraulic cylinders 41 for the shovel arm end 46 for the scoop strut are activated, preferably in a parallel operation by extending cylinder 41 and cylinder 46 at the same'time until the lever 38 reaches its raised position indicated by dotted lines in FIG. 2. In this operation, the scoop 42, the scoop strut 45, and the shovel arm 36 have to pivot clockwise around the support of the scoop on the ground, whereby the angle enclosed between the lever 38 and the arm 36 is increased; while the angle enclosed between the arm 36 and the scoop strut 45 is decreased. Following installation of the locking link 43 by attaching it to the bore 38a of the lever and the locking car 39 of the column, the shovel arm cylinder 41 can be retracted, thereby raising the entire shovel mechanism until it reaches the retracted end position shown in FIG. 2.

The embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 shows a lever 38 which, as in the previous examples, is pivoted on its upper end by means of a horizontal pivoting pin 48 mounted in a pivoting car 37 of the vertical pivoting column 35. As can be seen in FIG. 4, the shovel arm 36 includes a forked end portion 360 which reaches over the two plates constituting the lever 38, thereby retaining the latter on the horizontal pivoting pin 48 at a fixed distance to one another. A hydraulic cylinder 55 is attached by its lower end to the bottom portion of the pivoting column 35 by means of mounting cars 39 and a horizontal pin 54 on the pivoting column. The working end of the cylinder 55 is attached to the plates of the lever 38 by means of welded eyes 56 and a cross pin 57. To the lower end of the lever 38 is pivotably attached one end of the shovel arm cylinder 41 by means of a pin 58. A cylinder 59 provides the pivoting drive for the vertical pivoting column 35.

As can be seen in FIG. 3, the lever 38 can be raised to its travelling position indicated by broken lines by actuating the cylinder 55. If the cylinder 41 has been extended before the lever 38 is raised, the resultant position of the shovel mechanism becomes the fully retracted position as shown in FIG. 3.

In FIG.5 is illustrated the rear portion of a carrier vehicle to which has been attached the frame 10 of a mechanical shovel attachment. The frame 10 carries an operator's seat 51 and a control panel 52. Below the seat is a horizontal slide 60 and a carriage 61 with the vertical pivoting column 35 attached thereto, as previously described in connection with FIG. 2. The carriage 61 is shown laterally displaced out of its median position. The lever 38 in this case is in its raised travelling position as indicated in FIG. 2 so that the shovel arm 36 attached to the lower end of the lever 38 at 47 extends backwardly over the attachment frame 10 and over the carrier vehicle.

It shouldbe understood, of course, that even though the embodiments described above include various connecting elements allowing lateral displacement of the vertical pivoting column 35 with respect to the frame by means of the bracket or the carriage 61, for example, the invention can equally well be applied to mechanical shovel attachments where the pivoting column is directly mounted to the frame and where the operators seat is arranged laterally offset with respect to the vertical pivoting column.

While there has been described and illustrated specific embodiments of the invention, it will be clear that variations in the details of the embodiments specifically illustrated and described may be made without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. 7

Whatis claimed is:

1. An attachment for mechanical shovels and the like comprising:

a. a frame for connection to a vehicle,

nection of one of said members.

b. a pivoting column rotatable about a vertical axis relative to said frame, 4

c; an arm having a shovel or the like attached to one end thereof, the other end thereof being pivotally connected to said column and rotatable about a horizontal axis, I

,d. a lever being pivotally connected to said column about a horizontal axis at one joint, and

e. an operating cylinder member having a movable piston member therein, 'one of said members being pivotally connected to said lever and the other member being pivotally connected to said arm, whereby operation of said operating cylinder and piston members causes said lever to'rotate about its horizontal axis. v

2. An attachment as defined in claim 1 including means for locking said lever in a given position.

3. An attachment as defined in claim 1 wherein said 4. An attachment as defined in claim 1 wherein said lever includes a pair of parallel plates maintained a given distance from one another by pivot ear means on the upper end of said column, and means on said plates for supporting one of said members.

5. An attachment as defined in claim 1 wherein said column includes a locking ear at the lower end thereof, another point on said lever having a bore therein aligned with said locking ear when in a working position, a locking pin insertable in said bore and locking ear whereby said lever can be locked in a raised travelling position by locking said lever to said locking ear by the insertion ofa locking link.

6. An attachment as defined in claim 1 wherein said lever is movable between a working position and a travelling position by means of a second operating cylinder having one end attached to said column and another end attached to said lever.

7. An attachment as defined in claim 1 wherein said arm and lever are pivoted relative to said column at the same point.

8. An attachment as defined in claim 1 wherein said arm is attached to said lever at the lower end thereof, and one of said members being attached to said lever between the ends thereof, and means for locking said lever to said column also positioned at the lower end thereof.

9. An attachment as defined in claim 1 including a 

1. An attachment for mechanical shovels and the like comprising: a. a frame for connection to a vehicle, b. a pivoting column rotatable about a vertical axis relative to said frame, c. an arm having a shovel or the like attached to one end thereof, the other end thereof being pivotally connected to said column and rotatable about a horizontal axis, d. a lever being pivotally connected to said column about a horizontal axis at one joint, and e. an operating cylinder member having a movable piston member therein, one of said members being pivotally connected to said lever and the other member being pivotally connected to said arm, whereby operation of said operating cylinder and piston members causes said lever to rotate about its horizontal axis.
 2. An attachment as defined in claim 1 including means for locking said lever in a given position.
 3. An attachment as defined in claim 1 wherein said arm is connected to said lever at a point above the connection of one of said members.
 4. An attachment as defined in claim 1 wherein said lever includes a pair of parallel plates maintained a given distance from one another by pivot ear means on the upper end of said column, and means on said plates for supporting one of said members.
 5. An attachment as defined in claim 1 wherein said column iNcludes a locking ear at the lower end thereof, another point on said lever having a bore therein aligned with said locking ear when in a working position, a locking pin insertable in said bore and locking ear whereby said lever can be locked in a raised travelling position by locking said lever to said locking ear by the insertion of a locking link.
 6. An attachment as defined in claim 1 wherein said lever is movable between a working position and a travelling position by means of a second operating cylinder having one end attached to said column and another end attached to said lever.
 7. An attachment as defined in claim 1 wherein said arm and lever are pivoted relative to said column at the same point.
 8. An attachment as defined in claim 1 wherein said arm is attached to said lever at the lower end thereof, and one of said members being attached to said lever between the ends thereof, and means for locking said lever to said column also positioned at the lower end thereof.
 9. An attachment as defined in claim 1 including a support on said frame for supporting said arm in an upwardly and rearwardly retracted position.
 10. An attachment as defined in claim 1 including means for laterally moving the attachment relative to the vehicle. 